From tomorrow, Australia and New Zealand will become the centre of the sporting world.
All eyes will be on the two host countries as the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off.
For those on this side of the Tasman Sea, the big focus will be the Matildas’ first game against Ireland in Sydney. Victory for Tony Gustavsson’s team could be just the spark to ignite both the Aussie campaign and the tournament as a whole.
On Saturday, it’s WA’s time to shine as Denmark and China meet in a Group D encounter at Perth Rectangular Stadium.
Millions of fans in China will tune in to see if the Steel Roses can make an immediate impact, right here in Perth.
This is an opening match WA tourism bosses will have welcomed and it’s equally exciting for Football West.
The first of five matches taking place in Perth/Boorloo has much riding on it.
European champions England are in that group and with only two teams going through, victory for either side will go a long way to see who advances to the knockout stage.
The State Football Centre is a key legacy from the World Cup. It’s the brand-new home of football based in Queens Park in the City of Canning. It received great publicity last week when Denmark became the first team to use its state-of-the-art facilities and shared their experiences across social media. It looked incredible.
The State Football Centre, along with Asian engagement, is a key pillar of Football West’s new strategic plan. Sports tourism is a billion dollar industry and bringing these international teams to Perth on a regular basis will play a huge part in the centre’s success.
Football West has long been in tune with the value of sporting and cultural relations with Asia.
Pre-pandemic, we were sending more than 20 State teams annually to compete in tournaments in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and China. Now we have the capacity to invite clubs from these countries to train with us, and for their talented young male and female players, coaches and match officials to come here as part of exchange trips.
No longer do the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham need to use the facilities of other codes to train and prepare, either.
The State Football Centre will accommodate all of their requirements, as we’ll see when the CommBank Matildas come to town for their three Olympic qualifiers in October.
All of this enables Football West to reinvest in the local game and gives us a stronger hand when we speak with governments regarding investment to improve facilities for our clubs.
Since Queens Park was chosen as the venue for the State Football Centre in 2019, we have built close ties with the City of Canning and we want to play our part in the continued growth of the area.
That includes involving business partners who can see the benefit of our greater community engagement, with the State Football Centre central to our elite and grassroots programs.
There’s still work to be done, including the construction of the stage two community pitches. When complete, we’ll have a fully activated and thriving sporting hub right in the heart of Queens Park which services all of WA.
For now, let’s enjoy what promises to be an unforgettable month of football, with the likes of USA stars Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, as well as our own world superstar Sam Kerr, set to thrill a new generation of young fans.
Go the Matildas.
Jamie Harnwell is chief executive officer at Football West.